Decontamination of RPET through particle size reduction

ABSTRACT

Contaminants are removed from RPET flakes by a process which includes the steps of comminuting the RPET flakes to produce RPET particles and driving the contaminants out from the RPET particles.

This application is a 35 USC 371 and claims the benefit of PCTapplication Serial No. U.S. 00/12114, filed on May 2, 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to an improved process fordecontaminating recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) throughparticle size reduction. More particularly, the invention is directed toa process for removing contaminants which have diffused into the matrixof the sidewalls of a PET container, which process is conducted afterthe container is recycled into RPET.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Post-consumer processing of recycled PET to manufacture a variety ofuseful consumer products such as flower pots and fence posts iswell-known. Typically, the recycling process utilizes used PETcontainers, such as discarded carbonated beverage containers, which arecollected, sorted, washed, and separated from contaminants to yield arelatively clean source of RPET. Additionally, the manufacture ofimperfect and damaged molded PET products, particularly the blow moldedbottles for use in containing consumer goods, results in a considerableamount of PET waste which the manufacturers of such products would liketo reuse. The RPET produced by conventional recycling processes isgenerally in ground or flake form, which is thereafter melt processed orfurther pelletized by the end user.

RPET is always subjected to a grinding operation in order to make thematerial easier to handle and process. Conventional grinding equipmentreduces the RPET to about ⅜ inch particles or flakes. The grinding isconducted in a manner to insure that a consistent flake size will beproduced, by employing a grate or screen through which the groundmaterial must pass upon exiting the grinder. Although conventional RPETflakes melt processing and pelletizing equipment is designed to handle ⅜inch flakes, some RPET materials having sizes as large as ½ inch and assmall as ¼ inch are also commercially produced. The bulk density of ⅜inch flake RPET generally ranges from about 22 to about 35 pounds percubic foot.

Similarly, RPET and PET pellets are generally formed to a standard,uniform size of about 0.12 inch in diameter. The bulk density of suchpellets generally ranges from about 50 to about 58 pounds per cubicfoot. Typically, PET and RPET melt processing equipment is designed toaccept pellets having the above-mentioned dimensions and physicalcharacteristics.

The critical aspect for achieving consistently high quality end productsutilizing RPET is comprehensive decontamination of the RPET flakes orpellets. Significant decontamination occurs during the washing andsorting of PET scrap. The incoming PET bottles and containers arecomminuted to form PET fragments and to remove loose labels, dirt, andother adhered foreign particles. Thereafter, the mixture is airclassified and the remaining fragments are washed in a hot detergentsolution to remove additional label fragments and adhesives from the PETfragments. The washed PET fragments are then rinsed and placed in aseries of flotation baths where heavier and lighter weight foreignparticles are removed. The remaining PET fragments are then dried andsold as RPET flakes. Thus, label and basecup glues, polyolefins, PVC,paper, glass, and metals, all of which adversely affect the quality andperformance of the finished product, are removed from the RPET.

Of recent concern are the toxic contaminants which may be introducedinto a typical RPET processing stream. Examples of such contaminantsinclude pesticides, solvents, herbicides, and chlorinated hydrocarbonswhich could contaminate the RPET through incidental, inadvertent contactduring processing or transporting same, or by the recycling of PETbottles and containers which were used by consumers to hold toxicsubstances for some extended period of time.

D. W. Hayward, “Employing RPET in Your Process,” SPE RETEC, Nov. 4, 1994reports that “clean” RPET flakes can still contain residual contaminantsin concentrations as high as 4%, and there is a possibility that suchcontaminants would include toxic contaminants. These sources ofcontamination are appropriately of great concern to those who desire toincorporate RPET into new containers for food-contact use.

With regard to the possibility that toxic contaminants could becontained in RPET designed for food-contact use, the U.S. FDA has setprotocols for the levels of such contaminants in these applications, andhas established surrogate and concentration limits to establish theeffectiveness of washing and subsequent decontamination processes. TheU.S. FDA protocols require that the RPET be introduced to the selectedcontaminant for as long as two weeks, to allow the contaminants todiffuse into the polymer matrix of a bottle or container sidewall whichwill be subsequently recycled via any proposed recycling methodology.Accordingly, an effective decontamination method will to some extentrequire that the contaminant be driven back out of the RPET flakesproduced from the bottle or container sidewalls, in order to meet therequired contaminant concentration limit.

It would be desirable to develop a process for decontaminating RPET toproduce “clean” RPET, wherein the clean RPET would exhibit a residualcontaminant level which would make it acceptable for manufacturing newfood-grade PET bottles and containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordant with the present invention, a process for removingcontaminants from RPET flakes has surprisingly been discovered. Theprocess comprises the steps of:

-   -   comminuting the RPET flakes, to prepare RPET particles having an        average mean particle size from about 0.0005 inch to about 0.05        inch in diameter; and    -   driving the contaminant out of the RPET particles.

The inventive process is particularly useful for removing toxiccontaminants from RPET flakes, so that the resultant material may thenbe utilized to manufacture new food-grade PET bottles and containers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The novel features considered characteristic of the present inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself, however, will best be understood from the accompanyingdescription of specific embodiments when read in connection with theattendant drawing in which:

The FIGURE is a graph illustrating the increased rate of RPET particledecontamination as a function of decreasing RPET particle size.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is directed to a process for removing contaminantsfrom RPET flakes. The RPET flakes are comminuted to prepare RPETparticles and thereafter the contaminant is driven out of the RPETparticles. By the term “RPET flakes” as it is used herein is meantgenerally the commercially available recycled polyethylene terephthalatematerials produced by conventional PET recycling methods, usually inflake form, but which may additionally be in the form of chunks,spheres, pellets, and the like, and which are generally made availablein bulk in a substantially uniform particle size from about ¼ inch toabout ½ inch for subsequent melt processing operations.

Methods for decontaminating RPET flakes, utilizing a process in whichthe flakes are comminuted to produce particles larger than thosedisclosed in the present application, are more fully set forth in U.S.Pat. No. 5,899,392 which is incorporated in its entirety herein byreference thereto. It has now been discovered that the process isadvantageously operable at even smaller RPET particle sizes.

A typical single particle of ⅜ inch RPET flake exhibits a surface tovolume ratio of about 177:1. Contaminants which have penetrated the RPETflake matrix can only diffuse out at the surface of the RPET flake.Contaminants which have diffused far into the RPET flake matrixgenerally cannot diffuse out of the flake between the time the RPETflake is produced in the conventional recycling process and the time theRPET flake is utilized in a melt processing operation for producing anew PET article.

According to the present invention, RPET flakes are comminuted by anyconventional means to prepare RPET particles having an average meanparticle size from about 0.0005 inch to about 0.05 inch in diameter.This is a substantial reduction in the size of the individual RPETflakes, and will allow any contaminant contained within the RPET flakesto be driven out more easily and quickly. For example, a particle of PEThaving a radius of about 0.058 inch and a concentration of benzene ofabout 25,000 ppm requires over 96 hours of diffusion time at 70° for thelevel of benzene to fall to a concentration of about 0.25 ppm. Bycontrast, a particle of PET having a radius of about 0.00876 inchrequires less than 3 hours to reach the same 0.25 ppm concentrationlevel, all other parameters being equal. Smaller RPET particle sizesresult in even faster decontamination rates. Thus, RPET flakes may bedecontaminated by the inventive process, which includes the step ofparticle size reduction, without the need for elaborate or exotic meanssuch as twin-screw compounding, vacuum extraction, or extremely longresidence times such as are taught in the prior art.

Following comminution of the RPET flakes, the resultant RPET particlesare subjected to a process designed to drive the contaminants out of theparticles. As is well-known, this may be accomplished by merely airdrying the RPET particles (passing a stream of a gas, preferably air,over and though the particles) at room temperature. The time required toachieve the substantial elimination of contaminants from the RPETparticles is much less than the time that otherwise would be required toachieve the same elimination of contaminants from an equal mass of RPETflakes, utilizing the same conditions. Alternatively, the comminutedRPET particles may simply be allowed to reside in bulk at standardconditions until the contaminants have diffused out of the particles.Moreover, the RPET particles may be heated in a conventional mannerwhich will accelerate the diffusion of the contaminants out from theparticles. Also, the RPET particles may be placed in a liquid solutionthat can leach the contaminants out from the particles. These, as wellas other conventional methods may be used to drive the contaminants outfrom the RPET particles; but in each case, the time required will besubstantially less than would otherwise be required to effect the samelevel of decontamination upon an equal mass of RPET flakes utilizing thesame driving-out process.

Although the present invention focuses primarily upon the use ofparticle size reduction to decontaminate the RPET particles, otherbenefits may be realized from employing the particle size reductionstep. The same mechanics will also improve the drying performance andsolid-stating of the RPET.

Solid-stating is a process whereby the intrinsic viscosity of the RPETis raised. Intrinsic viscosity is an important physical characteristicwhich in large part determines the ultimate strength of the finalproduct, for example, a bottle or container produced from the RPETflakes. A bottle or container produced from RPET having a low intrinsicviscosity will not perform as well as a bottle or container made fromhigher intrinsic viscosity RPET.

PET, unlike most other polymers, has the ability to be “put backtogether” in the solid-stating process, which raises the intrinsicviscosity back up to an acceptable level. Solid-stating occurs at hightemperatures, often just below the melting point of the polymer, andemploys a dry gas stream flowing through the bed of polymer particles,where the gas employed is usually inert, such as nitrogen.Alternatively, the solid-stating process can be carried out under avacuum. Solid-stating depends on diffusion mechanics to removeby-products of the process, and thermal dynamics to raise thetemperature of the RPET. Reduced particle size greatly improved thesolid-stating process by decreasing the time required to raise theintrinsic viscosity to the desired level.

Furthermore, PET is a hygroscopic polymer that must be thoroughly driedprior to melt processing in order to prevent hydrolytic degradation andthe resultant loss of intrinsic viscosity. Drying of PET and RPET flakesusually occurs in commercially available desiccant hot air dryers whichare designed to remove moisture from the surface and matrix of thematerial. Drying is conducted at temperatures which are above theboiling point of water but well below solid-stating temperatures.Particle size reduction, according to the present invention, greatlyreduces the time required to dry the RPET.

Thus, although the inventive process is described and claimed as one forremoving a contaminant from RPET flakes, it is contemplated that thedescribed and claimed process may additionally be employed to improveand accelerate a solid-stating process, and may simplify and acceleratea process for drying the RPET.

EXAMPLE

RPET flakes contaminated with toluene are comminuted to produce fourlots of RPET particles having the following approximate particlediameter size ranges:

Lot #1 0.0331–0.0234 inch Lot #2 0.0197–0.0165 inch Lot #3 0.0083–0.0059inch Lot #4 0.0059–0.0021 inchThese four lots of RPET particles are individually solid-stated at atemperature of about 160° C. under vacuum. Samples of each lot areextracted at various times during the solid-stating process, and theconcentration of toluene contaminant is measured. It is observed thatthe rate of decontamination over time increases with decreasing RPETparticle size. This phenomenon is illustrated in the FIGURE.

The process for removing contaminants from RPET flakes describedhereinabove is generally disclosed in terms of its broadest applicationto the practice of the present invention. Occasionally, the processconditions as described may not be precisely applicable to eachcontaminant/RPET flake combination included within the disclosed scope.Those instances where this occurs, however, will be readily recognizedby those ordinarily skilled in the art. In all such cases, the processmay be successfully performed by conventional modifications to thedisclosed process.

The invention is more easily comprehended by reference to specificembodiments recited hereinabove which are representative of theinvention. It must be understood, however, that the specific embodimentsare provided only for the purpose of illustration, and that theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustratedwithout departing from its spirit and scope.

1. A process for removing a contaminant from RPET flakes, comprising thesteps of: comminuting the RPET flakes, to prepare RPET particles havingan average mean particle size from about 0.0005 inch to about 0.05 inchin diameter; and driving the contaminant out of the RPET particles. 2.The process for removing a contaminant from RPET flakes according toclaim 1, wherein the step of driving the contaminant out of the RPETparticles comprises passing a stream of a gas over and through the RPETparticles.
 3. The process for removing a contaminant from RPET flakesaccording to claim 1, wherein the step of driving the contaminant out ofthe RPET particles comprises allowing the RPET particles to reside inbulk for a period of time sufficient for substantially all of thecontaminant to diffuse out of the RPET particles.
 4. The process forremoving a contaminant from RPET flakes according to claim 1, whereinthe step of driving the contaminant out of the RPET particles comprisesheating the RPET particles.
 5. The process for removing a contaminantfrom RPET flakes according to claim 1, wherein the step of driving thecontaminant out of the RPET particles comprises immersing the RPETparticles in a solution capable of leaching the contaminant out of theRPET particles.
 6. The process for removing a contaminant from RPETflakes according to claim 1, wherein the step of driving the contaminantout of the RPET particles comprises exposing the RPET particles to avacuum.